CENTRE FOR INTERACTIVE

RESEARCH ON
SUSTAINBILITY VANCOUVER,
CANADA

INTEGRATED ENERGY
MANAGEMENT

Omveer 1140100440
Sandeep 1140100447
INTRODUCTION
The Centre for Interactive Research on
Sustainability (CIRS) at the University of British
Columbia (UBC) campus in Vancouver is one of
the greenest buildings in North America.

It was designed by Perkins+Will architects and

UBC in a partenrship.

The CIRS is dedicated to multidisciplinary

education, partnership and research in design and
operation of sustainable buildings, environmental
policies and community engagement.

The CIRS is part of a $150m UBC Vancouver

institutional campus's sustainability effort to
reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by
33% by 2015. The campus aims to achieve a 67%
reduction by 2020 and 100% by 2050.
BUILDING OVERVIEW
The centre includes
• classrooms,
• a 450-seat modern green development
auditorium,
• software laboratories for building simulation and
indoor environmental quality,
• a building management system,
• exhibition spaces,
• a public atrium,
• a Loop Café and
• office space.

The CIRS building has embraced the ambitious

sustainability goals of the Living Building
Challenge, including those of
• net zero water consumption;
• waste water treatment on site;
• net zero energy consumption, and
• construction and operational carbon neutrality
INNOVATIVE BUILDING FEATURES
 PROJECT PERFORMANCES

• Energy Intensity [building and process

energy] = 420MJ/m2/year

• Energy cost savings relative to NMECB = 68%

• Potable water consumption from municipal

sources = 0L/occupant/year

• Potable water consumption savings relative to

reference building = 100%

• Recycled material content by value = 20.5%

• Regional materials content [800km radius] by

value = 30.5%

• Proportion of construction waste recycled = 89%

RAINWATER HARVESTING

CIRS is entirely water self-sufficient by harvesting

rainwater and stored in a 100-cubic-meter cistern
underneath the building.

Around 1,226,000 litres of rainwater is harvested

throughout the year, and average demand is 2000
litres per day.

The benefits of a rainwater potable water system is

that it creates awareness, educates the public on
water supply/consumption, reduces potable water
demand, promotes stormwater management, and
provides an onsite water source for fire suppression.
 WATER
Through a simple system, rainwater is harvested
from the high-albedo roofs, stored in a below-
ground cistern, filtered, disinfected onsite, and
distributed through the building for potable water
applications.
 

WASTE

Using a solar aquatics biofiltration system,

100% of the building’s wastewater is reclaimed,
treated and reused within the facility. Water is
collected from fixtures throughout the building,
and treated water is reused within the building
for irrigation and toilet flushing, creating a
closed-loop water cycle.
CIRS collects and treats rainwater for potable use and purifies wastewater on-site in a solar aquatics
biofiltration system. 100% of rainwater runoff is captured, filtered and managed on site. Around 1,226,000
litres of rainwater is harvested throughout the year, and average demand is 2000 litres per day.
 DAYLIGHTING

Narrow floor plates allowed for daylight penetration

and light to enter the building from both sides.

The benefits is that it improves the inhabitant health

and comfort, creates a friendly space, reduces
energy consumption and cost, and provides a
surface for photovoltaic cells.

The building’s U-shape contributes to the project

goal of 100% natural daylight and ventilation for all
inhabitants, including the auditorium located in the
centre of the building.
Organized around an atrium and auditorium, the building’s U-shaped plan
contributes to the goal of 100% natural daylight and ventilation for all
inhabitants. To further reduce building energy loads, the design allows occupant
control of personal spaces and includes energy-efficient equipment.

To reduce heating and cooling loads, the building emphasizes passive

environmental strategies, such as proper solar orientation and glazing ratio,
strategic placement of windows for cross and natural ventilation, and solar control
strategies such as canopies, overhangs and fritted glass.

Rooftop photovoltaics harvest additional A vegetated screen shades the atrium, The architects’ dual-pronged approach to solar
energy. eliminating the need for mechanical shading comprises fixed shades and a living
cooling. wall.
Building-integrated photovoltaics [accounting for almost 10% of energy], shade operable windows, and the western
facade’s living solar screen is planted with deciduous vines - once grown in, the screen will act as a dynamic
shading device that responds to seasonal change.
 CIRS’s living screen
on the western facade
is planted with
deciduous vines,
creating a passive
shading device that
displays seasonal
change.

The four-storey
atrium, flooded by
natural light, and
topped by a
photovoltaic array.

A living roof on the auditorium provides a courtyard amenity for upper-

level office users.
CIRS’s living screen
on the western facade
is planted with
deciduous vines,
creating a passive
shading device that
displays seasonal
change.

The vegetated screen

will lose its leaves
during the winter
months, allowing the
sun to heat the
atrium.
 SOLAR ENERGY

CIRS harvests sunlight with building-integrated

photovoltaics, captures waste heat from a nearby
building, and exchanges heating and cooling with
the ground to achieve net-positive energy.

On an annual basis, CIRS returns 600-megawatt-

hours of surplus energy back to campus while
removing 170 tonnes of GHG emissions.

To reduce heating and cooling loads, the building

emphasizes passive environmental strategies, such
as proper solar orientation and glazing ratio,
strategic placement of windows for cross and
natural ventilation, and solar control strategies such
as canopies, overhangs and fritted glass.
 VENTILATIO
N
The CIRS uses a mixed mode system utilizing
mostly passive natural ventilation.

There are two mechanical air handling units that

supply fresh filtered air: one to the large auditorium
and the other to the rest of the building.

In addition, there are manual operable windows that

allows for airflow and temperature control.

This system reduces energy consumption, connects

the inhabitants with nature, and improve their
health.
 ENERGY EXCHANGE

A heat recovery system captures waste heat in the

exhaust ventilation from the fume hoods on the
adjacent Earth and Ocean Sciences building,
transferring it to the heat pumps in CIRS.

The heat pumps provide heating and cooling for the

building through the radiant slabs and a
displacement ventilation system.
 STRUCTURE

The structure of CIRS is a hybrid

system. The basement and ground
level auditorium are cast-in-place
concrete, with a roof of curved glued
laminated timber (glulam) beams
supporting a solid wood roof over
the auditorium.

The upper floors have a frame of

engineered wood members supporting
a solid wood floor assembly.

The vertical support is provided

by rectangular glulam columns
and supporting rectangular glulam
beams.
Materials were chosen to promote occupant health, The moment-frame structure provides an open floor plate
productivity and happiness, with wood serving as the that allows for flexibility in use and large openings to
primary building material. maximize daylight and views
 BUILDING MATERIAL AND
ENERGY SYSTEM
The primary exterior material is white brick, clear glazing,
wood, and neutral colored concrete. The benefits are the
reduction of 'red list' materials like polyvinyl chloride,asbestos
etc, improvement of indoor air quality, reduction of material
waste, and reduction of carbon emissions.

The CIRS achieves a net-positive energy performance and

reduces UBC's overall energy consumption by over 1 million
kilowatt hours per year. inspire a new approach to energy
supply/consumption, reduce heat demand and carbon emissions
of neighbouring buildings' was designed to be ‘net positive’ in
seven different ways:
Net positive energy ,Structural carbon neutrality, operational
carbon, net zero water,
turning passive occupants info active inhabitants, promoting
health and productivity,
Promoting happiness
1.Net positive energy ,
2.Structural carbon neutrality,
3.operational carbon,
4.net zero water,
turning passive occupants
5.info active inhabitants,
6.promoting health and
productivity,
7.Promoting happiness
 A Regenerative Building Process

• All water from the sky

Net positive on Continuous
• All liquid waste treatment
water research:
from the ground & sun
• All heating and cooling from the Net positive on  technical
ground/neighbours/sun energy and performance of
building systems
• All light (when avail.) from the sun GHG emissions
• Much electricity from the sun  behavioural
interface of
• Most ventilation from the wind Net positive on building &
• Wood building structural inhabitants
carbon

A building that restores the environment around it

THANK YOU